Twenty-two fifth graders from Plantation Key School ventured away from the classroom to a village preserve Feb. 25. With large buckets in hand, students joined forces with members of the Islamorada Foundation for the first Island Stewardship Initiative at a village-owned preserve at MM 87, oceanside.
Students and foundation members spent the morning squeezing past dense trees and brush to snatch loose plastic, fishing lines, wire, golf balls, shoes and other debris. More than 15 full plastic bags were tied up and hauled to the side of the road for disposal.
JC Mikula, foundation chairman, said he couldn’t have been more pleased in the way students stepped up to partake in the initiative. The Islamorada Foundation, a nonprofit, strives to provide enhancements to village parks and preserve the community’s character. Mikula said there are two ways the foundation goes about its goals.
“Our first is acquiring, conserving and managing open space to support diversity, reduce density and enable passive recreation in the community,” he said. “The second is supporting and building stewardship of the fragile network of 19 miles of islands in Islamorada.”
Saylor Wampler, fifth-grader at PKS, held her bucket full of fishing line, bottles and caps. She said she enjoyed walking through the park and saving the environment.
“It’s a good thing to do,” she said. “The more we are involved in cleaning up what we have, the louder message will be to everyone to get involved in protecting parks and green space on our islands.”
PKS principal Lisa Taylor said the community service initiative helps students gain a better understanding of the coastal ecosystem and the value of philanthropy and volunteerism.
“Sadly, our coastlines can become polluted, unsightly and dangerous to the near shore ecosystems and people who use them when tides and storms combine with illegal dumping or littering,” she said. “With limited resources, our school and students can partner with the foundation, other nonprofits and government to take collective action and keep our shoreline clean, vibrant and welcoming through the simple act of cleaning them up and encouraging others to do the same.”
All in all, Mikula said the kids “knocked it out of the park.” Among the larger items collected were buoys, poles and boards.
“We won’t perform a miracle with a morning of hard work but, with the support and participation of the schools, we hope to encourage more organized efforts to get our shorelines cleaned up and have everyone unite in fighting to keep our water lines free of trash and pollution discarded by the thoughtless few,” he said. “We look forward to a long partnership with Plantation Key Schools and Coral Shores High Schools on more stewardship initiatives.”
More information about the Islamorada Foundation is at islamoradafoundation.org.
